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Amtrak has modified or cancelled service to Florida DAYS ahead of when Wilma is suppose to be close. They did this when Katrina hit.
Friday, October 21 Trains 52 & 53, the northbound and southbound Lorton, Va.,-Sanford, Fla., Auto Train are canceled, with no alternate transportation available. Trains 91 & 97, the southbound New York-Miami Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available. Trains 92 & 98, the northbound Miami-New York Silver Star and Silver Meteor will operate with additional capacity to accommodate those wishing to leave the area threatened by Hurricane Wilma.
Saturday, October 22 Trains 52 & 53, the northbound and southbound Lorton, Va.,-Sanford, Fla., Auto Train are canceled, with no alternate transportation available. Trains 91 & 97, the southbound New York-Miami Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available. Trains 92 & 98, the northbound Miami-New York Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available.
Sunday, October 23 Trains 92 & 98, the northbound Miami-New York Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available.
Monday, October 24 Trains 92 & 98, the northbound Miami-New York Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available.
I wish someone would explain why someone at Amtrak doesnt look at this site...
...to know that they could still run full service Saturday and Northbound service on Sunday looooong before the winds of Wilma are felt?
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
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As it stands now the hurricane wont hit Florida (?) until Monday night. Amtrak could still run servce Saturday and Sunday with absolutely no dangers, and still assist in getting people out of the peninsula.
posted
Just as it's real hard to stop a moving train, it is hard to stop a corporate decision once in motion.
Remember that they made the decision to stop the service on Wednesday, when Wilma was forecast to hit South Florida on Saturday. Trying to "chase" the forecast is not something which can be done because of all the complex logistics involved in running a passenger train.
Once they cancel a service like this they are effectively releasing not only the onboard staff but the station personnel and even provisioning agents. Those people are already working on their personal evacuation (if they are smart, and they must be if the work for Amtrak) and trying to recall them would be nigh onto impossible.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Ad copy from the past:
"Center to Center All Weather Service"
New Haven RR
"Your trip is weatherproof when you go Lackawanna"
DL&W
That was then, this is now.
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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Doubtful that they had a hurricane in mind, Mr. Norman.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Noted, Mr. Froman; however, I can recall after riding out Carol in Stonington (CT) Harbor aboard a 36' boat on August 31, 1954, the New Haven had a Westbound train operating by noon the following day.
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
posted
quote:Just as it's real hard to stop a moving train, it is hard to stop a corporate decision once in motion.
Remember that they made the decision to stop the service on Wednesday, when Wilma was forecast to hit South Florida on Saturday. Trying to "chase" the forecast is not something which can be done because of all the complex logistics involved in running a passenger train.
Once they cancel a service like this they are effectively releasing not only the onboard staff but the station personnel and even provisioning agents. Those people are already working on their personal evacuation (if they are smart, and they must be if the work for Amtrak) and trying to recall them would be nigh onto impossible.
I guess I was trying to compare Amtrak to say, a cruise line like Carnival Cruise Corp. that only just decided TODAY that all Florida ops for this weekend will remain on schedule, instead of jumping the gun days in advance and 'abandoning ship'.
Carnival Corp. operates a fleet of dozens of cruise ships under several brand names (i.e. Holland-America, Windstar, Cunard, Costa, Princess, etc) affecting over fifty-thousand guests and employees arriving and disembarking passengers in every major port city scattered along both of Florida's coast line just this weekend alone.
They had a HUGE stake in any changes...
Kairho Member # 1567
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...and the airlines have not yet even made any decisions on when to stop service.
The point is there are two issues. First is WHEN the decision is made and here I agree Amtrak seems to have pulled the trigger fairly early. But then, governmental agencies are all under the gun (to continue an unfortunate metaphor) to be well prepared for events.
The other issue, which I though you were addressing (as was I), is the ability for an organization to change, once the decision has been made.
I believe we are both, in sum, on the same page.
I am scheduled to fly out (of Jacksonville) early Wednesday and am hoping the ol' homestead will be in sufficiently decent condition to permit that.....
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
posted
quote:and here I agree Amtrak seems to have pulled the trigger fairly early.
..totally agree, and now Amtrak has lost a total of 4 entire days of n/b and s/b Silver Service and Autotrain operations to Florida, two of those completely unnecessarily.
Monday, October 24 Trains 52 & 53, the northbound and southbound Lorton, Va.,-Sanford, Fla., Auto Train are canceled, with no alternate transportation available. Trains 91 & 97, the southbound New York-Miami Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available. Trains 92 & 98, the northbound Miami-New York Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available.
Tuesday, October 25 Trains 92 & 98, the northbound Miami-New York Silver Star and Silver Meteor are canceled, with no alternate transportation available.
notelvis Member # 3071
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I suppose your train can't be late if it doesn't run at all.
Anyone have information about the 'Silver Star' adding a station stop at Cary, NC when the new timetable becomes effective next week?
jgart56 Member # 3968
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Did anyone notice the Trains news column for October 21st in which Amtrak "reiterated" the fact: that it was CSX closing down all its trackage in Florida.
I suspected this was the case from the beginning. So before we excoriate Amtrak for not running trains, perhaps we should think about the host railroad on whose tracks it runs?
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